MORGANTOWN – The city of Morgantown has reached out to the Monongalia County Commission regarding the county’s future use of approximately 0.5 acres of property that once held The Salvation Army building and thrift store.
In a letter dated Dec. 4, Morgantown City Manager Jamie Miller offers congratulations on the county’s acquisition of the land and appreciation for the county’s investment in the city’s downtown.
“As you move forward with plans for immediate parking expansion and long-term use of the site, we respectfully ask that the county consider aligning the property’s design and development with the character and standards of the surrounding downtown area,” Miller writes. “The city has invested considerable effort into enhancing the Beechurst corridor and creating a cohesive, welcoming environment for residents, businesses and visitors.”
Miller points to The Deck retail space, WVU’s Reynolds Hall and adjacent parking area, the Campus Neighborhoods Revitalization Corporation (formerly Sunnyside Up) sidewalk replacement efforts, the realignment of 1st Street and the West Virginia Division of Highways-led changes to the University Avenue intersection with Campus Drive as some of the investments made along the busy thoroughfare in recent years.
“These investments have elevated the corridor’s appearance and functionality, and we hope the county’s project will complement these efforts,” Miller said, highlighting city code Articles 1351 and 1367 as guidance for general design standards in terms of parking lot materials and markings, appropriate landscape buffering with trees and shrubs, adequate lighting, stormwater management, properly designed ingress and egress, and pedestrian amenities.
“The city would be willing to partner in some way with the county on this investment to assist
with ensuring the property complements ongoing revitalization efforts. Specifically, if trees are
incorporated into the design, we would be open to providing them to support landscaping goals,” Miller wrote.
The county commission voted 2-1 in late October to purchase the land, comprised of five small parcels ranging in size from 0.02 acres to 0.18 acres, for $815,000 from Morgantown Community Resources, the nonprofit board that serves as facilitator of the Hazel’s House of Hope facility and campus on Scott Avenue.
MCR received the parcels as a gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust, which purchased the land from The Salvation Army for $1.36 million in July 2024.
Commissioner Tom Bloom, who cast the lone vote against the county’s acquisition of the land, said commission discussions to this point have focused solely on using the property for additional county parking in the short term.
The property sits adjacent to the Monongalia County Sheriff’s department. The three main parcels have frontage along University Avenue. All five parcels are clustered around the intersection of Court Street and University Avenue.
